Jemma
A feminine name of English origin meaning "a gem or jewel".
Name Census estimates that about 7,574 living Americans carry the first name Jemma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jemma today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jemma births was 2018 (594 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jemma. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jemma with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Jemma is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
7.6K
~ 1 in 45,254 Americans
Peak year
2018
594 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#758
Tracked since 1915
Census
Jemma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,883 people with the first name Jemma, which placed it at #3,516 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,516
National first-name rank
People counted
5.9K
5,883 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jemma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemma is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jemma described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jemma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 4,090
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 686
- Two or more races7.9% · 463
- Black or African American5.0% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 294
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 56
Popularity
Jemma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jemma from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,459 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jemma remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jemma by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jemma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jemmas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Jemma, while New Mexico, Montana, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 140 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jemma
The name Jemma has its origins in the English language and is a variant of the name Gemma. The name Gemma itself is derived from the Latin word "gemma," which means "precious stone" or "jewel." This connection to precious stones and gems suggests a sense of rarity, value, and beauty associated with the name.
In the medieval period, the name Gemma was commonly used in various European countries, particularly in Italy and England. It was a popular name among the upper classes and nobility, reflecting the name's association with preciousness and value. Over time, the variant spelling Jemma emerged, likely due to regional pronunciation differences or influences from other languages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jemma can be found in the writings of the English poet and clergyman John Donne (1572-1631). In his poem "A Fever," he mentions a character named Jemma, which indicates that the name was in use during the early 17th century in England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jemma. Jemma Lomas (born 1967) is a British actress known for her roles in television series such as "Dalziel and Pascoe" and "Heartbeat." Jemma Griffiths (born 1975) is a Welsh singer and songwriter who has released several albums and singles.
In the literary world, Jemma Redgrave (born 1965) is a British actress and the daughter of acclaimed actors Corin Redgrave and Deirdre Hamilton. She has appeared in numerous stage productions, films, and television shows, including "Howard's End" and "Lorna Doone."
Another notable figure is Jemma Kidd (born 1974), a British makeup artist and author who has worked with numerous celebrities and fashion brands. She has also launched her own cosmetics line and written several books on makeup and beauty.
In the realm of sports, Jemma Lowe (born 1990) is a British swimmer who has represented Great Britain in international competitions, including the Olympic Games and World Championships. She has won multiple medals and held national records in various swimming events.
These examples demonstrate the enduring presence of the name Jemma throughout history, spanning various fields and cultures. While its origins can be traced back to the Latin word for "precious stone," the name has taken on its own unique identity and has been embraced by individuals from diverse backgrounds.
People
Jemma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jemma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jemma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jemma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,574 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jemma going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 45,254 US residents.
Is Jemma a common name?
We classify Jemma as "Rare". It ranks above 97.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,685 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jemma most popular?
The single biggest year for Jemma was 2018, when 594 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jemma is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jemma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,883 people with the name Jemma, or 1.95 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,516 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jemma in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jemma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jemma appears almost entirely female. Of the 5,887 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jemma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemma is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jemma most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jemma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (4,090 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jemma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jemma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jemma in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Jemma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jemma in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jemma can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Jemma?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.